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I work in a sheetmetal shop. We do fabrication, and are under contract with the International Machinist Union. Membership where I work is voluntary, but the contract treats members and non-members the same (same pay, benefits, etc.) The contract will be up on the 30th, and tensions are very high in the shop. There is like an invisible line between the members and others, and bad blood towards each other.

The union held a meeting today, and voted to go on strike as of July 1st if a contract cannot be negotiated.

I hate to say it, but I am not looking forward to going to work tommorow. Maybe it's time for that career change that I've been going to school for. Maybe I should just wait it out.

I would say you are going to either want to stay away from the shop while the union guys are on strike or quickly join the union. If you continue to work when the union guys are on strike there will definitly be bad blood between you and them during and after the strike ends. Is the owner a union man?
This is a good example of why its not a good idea to maintain a split shop.

so........some people will strike while others will not?? but when it is settled they all will be paid the same??? so you are saying that you and the union guys do the same job....layout, forming ,welding ,etc...and you get paid the same??? are you a "helper",driver????

I wonder why the union is allowing double breasting no pun intended. You are truly in a delicate position no question about that. this situation shouldnt exist you should all be in the union or not in the union in the same shop. this is extremely unfair on you and you shouldn't be in this position. Can you talk to the union rep to see what their position is? can you talk to the company to see what their position is? I don't think there is an easy solution here

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I am in the in union. I just wish that there was some way to ease the tensions in the shop. The union isn't asking for much, about 35 cents an hour for about 40 people. Yes we all do the same jobs. It makes for an interesting workplace.

The tension will be there until things are settled, which is understandable since livlyhoods are at stake.
The best thing is to stay true to the union and only discuss union issues with fellow union members.
The closer the guys atay in the shop the quicker the company will settle.

Sounds like a "Right to Work" State where everyone in the shop makes the same money and has the same deductions. When the union strikes the non-union guys continue to work. When the union and the company agree on the contract the non-union guys still get all the pay and benefits. Really sounds fair, we all have a right to employment and if the guys don't want to join the union the shouldn't be forced to, this isn't the old USSR this is America the land of FREEDOMS! If you're a union member, don't even think of crossing the line, if you're not, a paycheck is still a paycheck. Regardless of all the union hall rhetoric we all have an inherent freedom of choice gauranteed by our Constitution and defended to death by the non-union men and women of our armed forces.

I relay do not think you should be bringing the great men and women of the armed forces into this as many of those men and women are union people and many that have died are union.
They are fighting for democracy and freedom and the right for others to be unionized.

You should look into unions and you will find that day to day the union movement is protecting the democracy that gives you the right to decide weather or not you want ot be union. This is done by lobbying the Government.